NEW YORK -- CBS' "As the World Turns" emerged Wednesday as the show to beat as the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences unveiled the nominations for the 28th annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

"As the World Turns," which will mark its 45th year on the air next month, raked in 25 Emmy nominations, including nominations for best drama series, lead actors Tom Eplin and Jon Hensley and Martha Byrne in the lead actress category.

The soap also claimed three noms apiece in the supporting actor and actress categories.

The second most-nominated program was ABC's "All My Children" with 21, including a bid for best drama. Last year's most-nominated program, CBS' "The Young & the Restless," dropped to 12 nominations from 28 last year.

Overall, ABC and PBS each received 53 nominations. CBS took 51, and syndicated programs weighed in with 49 nominations. Showtime led all cable networks with 19 nominations. NBC received 14.

Rosie O'Donnell, who won her fourth straight Daytime Emmy last year for talk-show host, received another nomination in that category this year, along with Regis Philbin for "Live With Regis"; Donny and Marie Osmond for the canceled "Donny & Marie"; and Barbara Walters, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Joy Behar and Lisa Ling for ABC's "The View."

O'Donnell's syndicated talk show also commanded the most nominations of any talk show with 13, followed by "The View" with 11. In addition to "The View" and "Rosie O'Donnell," contenders in the talk show category are "Donny & Marie," "Live With Regis" and "The Montel Williams Show." Oprah Winfrey again withdrew herself from the competition this year in the host and talk-show categories.

Philbin, who lost last year in the game-show host category to Tom Bergeron of "Hollywood Squares," received another nomination this year for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" on ABC, as did Bergeron for the syndicated "Hollywood Squares"; Alex Trebek of the syndicated "Jeopardy!" Bob Barker of CBS' "The Price Is Right"; and Ben Stein and Jimmy Kimmel of "Win Ben Stein's Money" on Comedy Central. The same five shows received nominations in the game/audience participation show category.

Among the soap operas, joining "All My Children" and "As the Worid Turns" in the race for drama were ABC's "General Hospital," last year's winner, and CBS' "The Young & the Restless."

Josh Duhamel of "All My Children," one of six soap stars to announce the nominations in New York on Wednesday morning, seemed stunned when his own name was mentioned as a nominee in the supporting actor category.

"I don't even know what to feel right now," Duhamel said. "I'm ecstatic."

PBS took three of five nominations in the children's animated program category for "Arthur," "Clifford, the Big Red Dog" and "Dragon Tales." The other nominees were Disney Channel's "Madeline" and Nickelodeon's "The Wild Thornberrys."

Showtime dominated the field in the children's special category with nominations for "Ratz," "Run the Wild Fields," "The Sandy Bottom Orchestra" and "A Storm in Summer." HBO Family's "What Matters: 2001 Millennium Special"...